It's a promise
by ucouldbx
Summary: Somehow, along the way, they had come to accept it. This clash of green and black had turned into something comforting. And yet nothing could have prepared her for the moment his black eyes were boring into hers with a burning hate, the same hate she had witnessed at that god-forsaken bridge.


The eyes. Those god-forsaken eyes, that would usually haunt her with their deep emptiness. Black as charcoal, they always seemed so alien to her, so unnatural, so dead. And yet they were so full with things she was yet to discover… if he ever let her, that is. Layers and layers of emotions he hid so well. Every time their gazes would meet, she would find herself lost in them. Like she was watching at the eye of storm, skillfully hidden behind a pair of two all-engulfing black holes. Again and again, as she would tear a layer away, there would always come another, thicker and darker. But she persisted. She would never look away first, never falter in his gaze. For the meaning behind her jade one was always painfully clear.

" _I won't leave you."_

" _I won't let you suffer alone."_

" _I am not afraid of you."_

" _I love you more than I can bear…"_

And even if he didn't understand her reasons or come to even consider how on earth she managed to stick to her resolve so relentlessly time and time again, he eventually started to find comfort in her emerald eyes, glassy with tears more often than he would like. And even though he would probably never admit it, she was getting to him. Slowly, but surely. She was like a river, steadily digging in the rocks that were his very being. Unyielding even to his temper, his constant glares, his neglectful attitude. She somehow managed to beat the stubbornness out of him with such finesse, at times he wondered why he even tried to repel her advances. As unmatched, strong and arrogant he could be on the battlefield, when their eyes met he would often find himself on the losing side. And though is irritated him to no end, he couldn't ignore that sometimes, just sometimes, something deep within him came to life. She somehow came to possess the ability to stir his emotions at will and he had no idea how she'd managed to take down so many of the walls he had so carefully secured himself with. He hated it all with a burning passion and yet he wasn't oblivious enough not to realize, that it was in fact him that had let her burry her slender hands so deep in his being and embrace the shell of a human he had turned into. His eyes would always convey the same message as he hastily tore his onyx gaze away from her.

" _Annoying."_

Somehow, along the way, they had come to accept it. This clash of green and black had turned into something comforting. And yet nothing could have prepared her for the moment his black eyes were boring into hers with a burning hate, the same hate she had witnessed at that god-forsaken bridge. As if it had never really left. As if all the things she had uncovered in those deep eyes the past few months had been just an illusion, no trace of them to be found anymore. What had caused this she had no idea. There was no warning. And yet, his hand was around her throat, squeezing and suffocating her mercilessly. She couldn't tell if a second or an hour had passed as the hate bubbling in his eyes turned to spinning vermilion and purple. Her gaze became misty with tears, she felt lightheaded and didn't really notice as the purple skeleton hand of his spirit warrior rose at his side. But as the sound of thousand birds filled her ears and blue electricity infused her line of sight, her whole being came to life once again.

 _Chi chi chi chi chi chi chi_

The chidori came crashing down, directly at her heart. And yet it never made contact. In some form of slow motion, like she was having an outer body experience, she witnessed herself crash her chakra-laden fist in his chest, sending him flying to the opposite wall. As oxygen filled her lungs once again she saw the lightning technique weaken and diminish, the purple arm vanishing into the air. Her instincts had kicked in the right moment, but as he rose from the dust with his mismatched gaze still sending daggers her way, she quickly came to the realization it wasn't over just yet.

Something wasn't right and it wasn't just because he had tried to choke the life out of her no more than twenty seconds ago, leaving her breathing just so she can feel his hand grasping at her heart quite literally while the electricity surged through her body. It wasn't the first time he had woken from slumber with killing intent in his eyes. After all, his nightmares were a more consistent companion in his travels than she could ever be. They were there long before her and as much as she may try they'd probably remain there forever. Time and time again he would wake up screaming and trashing, yelling at the top of his lungs that he would obliterate everything. It wasn't a rare occurrence for her to get hurt more or less, physically or mentally at the times like this, but nothing that had ever happened up until now could even be compared to what had transpired that night. Never had he gone so far.

It would usually end in seconds. Rarely would she need to do anything more than whisper his name. Rarely would she get more than a bruise from his hand grasping at hers as he would finally exit the realms of his nightmares. Never would the hate and rage flickering in his gaze remain there as he finally set his eyes on her. Naturally, she always knew that petting the lion as it licked it wounds would eventually take its toll on her one day but when night after night, nightmare after nightmare he would seek comfort in her, she stopped dreading the day he would actually lay harm on her. That night, however, every wicked emotion in his eyes was solely directed at her.

Mere seconds had past and she was violently torn from her thoughts, as he charged against her once again. He was fast, faster than anybody else she knew, his speed being rivaled only by the soon-to-be Nanadaime Hokage. In a blink of an eye he was in front of her again, his blade raised and pointing at her. The adrenaline wasn't sufficient enough for her to dodge, but only slightly make the sword miss its aim. The sharp blade plunged in her flesh just where her arm met her collarbone until it came out on the other side of her torso. The pain briefly overcame her senses, making her completely oblivious to her surroundings. And before she knew it the electricity was raging through her body, her muscles violently convulsing to the chirping sounds of thousand birds as her body slowly became numb, paralyzed. Everything became painfully quiet.

Facing certain death would probably make most people envision their lives rewinding like a tape before their eyes. All the things they managed to achieve and all the dreams they failed and discarded. All the bonds they made and all the people they lost or left behind. Or so she had heard. The fifth's disciple had undeniably witnessed death a thousand times over as she watched the light go out in the eyes of her patients. She had often wondered what death would bring for her to see in her final hour. And yet, all she could envision in these last painful moments was him. A little boy gazing at his parents' corpses over and over again. A young genin embraced by loneliness and the desire of killing a certain someone. A rogue ninja staring at his brother's dead body as his blood stained his face. An avenger wanting to bear the hatred of the world as his bloody hands smashed over and over in his sole friend's face. All the things he had shown her, had conveyed in her, all the pain, suffering and loneliness. All his sins, for which he hated himself to no end. Her promise ringed as clear as day in her head.

" _I know I could never fill that gaping hole in your heart. I know I could never take your pain away. I know I could never make you happy. I could never give you what you need and yet I can promise you this." She raised her slender hands to cup his pale face and her usually tender jade eyes shone with determination. "You would never ever be alone again. You would never lose anyone precious to you ever again. I will always be by your side whether you want me there or not." Her chapped lips formed a small smile, as he stared at her with something indescribable in his eyes. That smile was all too familiar._

" _It's a promise."_

If a certain someone had ever thought her anything, it was to never go back on a promise. A promise they had both made. And going back on her word was the last thing Haruno Sakura would do to the raven-haired boy with empty charcoal eyes.

As she finally came back to reality, she noticed that he had ripped his sword out of her body and was now pointing it at her heart, like he was waiting for her to gather what strength she had left. Even if his eyes were still spinning violently, leaving her no doubt he wouldn't show any mercy, she didn't fail to catch the way his gaze stirred as he met the resolve in her own. The diamond on her forehead bled in straight black lines over her body and as he plunged the sword in her again, her chakra-infused hand grasped the sword seconds before it made contact with her flesh. Whatever surprise she had provoked in him for overcoming an electricity-induced paralysis was short-lived as he jumped backwards, successfully evading her kick. The sword fell on the floor between them with a clattering sound, spraying her crimson blood over the floor. There was brief silence before he spoke his first words since he had awoken and pinned her to the wall, his hand nearly crushing her windpipe.

"Why won't you just fucking die" he's voice was low, the words spoken in a manner he never really used with her. Like raw hate had just spilled from his mouth and it burned like acid. His eyes twitched slightly. "WHY WON'T YOU FUCKING DIE"

He was completely inadequate at this point, that much she could tell. She should have been dead by now under any normal circumstances. Whatever emotions he was feeling were drowning him as he stood on his knees and clutched his head. He didn't even move as she approached, slowly, but surely. Her head was spinning wildly, her body suffering severe chakra depletion from using the byakugou seal to undo the paralysis. His crazed gaze never left her, as she dragged her legs to him and crumbled beside him. Her eyes bore into his, emeralds clashing with his mismatched gaze. The silence was deafening, their breaths and pants were the only noise for god knows how long. Then she slowly raised her hand making him back away ever so slightly, but not far away enough. Never far away enough. Her middle and index fingers tapped his forehead gently as her lips formed a tender smile.

" I will always be by your side" her voice was almost a whisper, but somehow the words got to him as his mismatched eyes faded to black once again. " whether you want me there or not."

As jade and onyx finally met for what seemed the first time in forever, he felt himself being ripped away from the nightmare. Its claws tried to lure him back, as realization of what he had done downed upon him. They were standing in the middle of nothing and all he could see was her gaping wound, the ugly scars the electricity scouring through her body had left, the bruise his hand had left on her throat… and her smile. Her eyes and smile were telling a whole different story and as their warmth embraced him the nightmare finally released him from his clutch. Everything became blurry and the next second he was staring at her face again. Her fingers were still on his forehead, but the scars, the blood, her wound… they were all gone.

As he finally calmed down, her hand left his forehead and caressed his features, tucking black hair away from his sweaty face. Her voice was ever so quiet and gentle.

"You cast a genjutsu on yourself." She took a little pause and then continued "I found you staring at the ceiling with both eyes spinning wildly, it was stronger than anything I've ever seen" he swallowed painfully, dreading her next words "I fell for it, too."

He felt the sudden urge to get away from her, as far away as possible, but her hands enveloped him, breaking his escape attempt. It was coming crashing down to him, all the pain he had inflicted on her in that nightmare, and she had experienced it all. All of it was as good as real.

"Let me go." The coldness in his voice did little to make her move even a millimeter. For all the time they had spent together, he somehow still didn't realize that no amount of fake indifference would make her back away. Either he didn't understand it, or he didn't want to. But somewhere deep down he knew it all too well. She was there as she would always be. The guilt was killing him.

"I said let me-"

"You broke us out, though." It was like she didn't even acknowledge that he had said anything "I knew something was not quite right, but I couldn't dispel it. "

He remained silent staring at the wall behind her with vacant eyes. She slowly pulled away and cupped his face with her tiny hands, directing his gaze at her face.

"Your biggest fear right now is losing yourself, Sasuke-kun. You have become your own worst enemy." Even though his gaze was fixated on her, his charcoal eyes were looking straight past her, unfocused. "But you aren't alone, not anymore. You have us." The image of a certain blonde-haired boy resurfaced his thoughts, a goofy grin and thousands of _"Because I am your friend"_ clouded his mind. "And I'm never ever letting go."

His eyes focused on her smile, then on her bright emerald eyes, shining brightly like stars in his dark skies. As her presence managed to take down his walls once again, the faintest of smiles ghosted through his pale face.

"I know."

" _It's a promise."_


End file.
